


Advanced Self Destructive Behavior

by HareStomp



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Alcoholism, Angst, F/M, Heart-to-Heart, Hopeful Ending, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:00:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25343587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HareStomp/pseuds/HareStomp
Summary: Jeff nearly drinks himself to death, Britta finally talks to him about whats up
Relationships: Annie Edison/Jeff Winger (mentioned), Britta Perry & Jeff Winger
Comments: 8
Kudos: 38





	Advanced Self Destructive Behavior

**Author's Note:**

> I would like to thank everyone over in the Community fan-fics channel for keeping me inspired to write! Specifically 1sttimefeeling/Jeffwing, Childish_Glover, Skitzer1985, AlmightyMirage (Mirage), Morganatique9 (Morganecdote), WowSoBoring (No Good B), Sally and JeffsWinger/Will, wannabe deanelchanger, you're all amazing! Also alcoholism and alcohol poisoning are big themes in this so be careful if those trigger you.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Community.

Britta walked up to Jeff’s apartment door, he hadn’t responded to any of her texts when she asked him if he wanted to go out for drinks after they got the news that Annie was offered a spot at the FBI Academy in Quantico. He hadn’t even responded to the text Annie sent about the news. She was a little concerned that something seriously bad had happened to him but she had a feeling he had just turned off his phone and was wallowing in his pain. She knew there was a spare key hidden in the plant next to his door but she hoped it wouldn’t come to that. She knocked on the door.

“Winger! I know you’re in there. I saw the Lexus in the lot!” She kept knocking but there wasn’t a single noise from inside the apartment. She gave up on him answering and grabbed the spare key.

“Okay I’m coming in jackass!” She yelled out to him to at least give him a warning. She opened the door and the apartment was surprisingly clean except for the coffee table and the couch she saw Jeff laying on, unconscious. The coffee table was covered in glasses and bottles of scotch. She walked over and tried to shake him awake.

“Hey idiot! Wake up!” She yelled at him as she kept shaking him. When he didn’t even stir she got more concerned. He was paler than usual and there was definitely enough scotch missing to kill five 21 year olds. She kept shaking him becoming even more concerned, she looked over at his phone and saw that he hadn’t even opened her texts. She took his thumb and unlocked, instantly finding the text Annie had sent.

“Please Jeff, please wake up!” She started lightly sobbing and then checked for his pulse. He was still alive but it was weak, she pulled out her phone and called 911.

“ _ 911, what’s your emergency?”  _ The worker responded, Britta attempted to compose herself enough to respond.

“I just found my friend passed out, there’s a bunch of empty alcohol bottles. He still has a pulse but it’s weak and he won’t wake up.” She started sobbing even harder after choking out her response.

“ _ Okay, what’s the address, were gonna send an ambulance over to you.” _ The responder said calmly, Britta gave them Jeff’s address and was told to stay on the line “ _ Sit your friend up to make sure he doesn’t choke on his own vomit.” _

Britta did as she was told and sat up Jeff and then she just had to wait for the ambulance. She couldn’t stop sobbing, she didn’t know if Jeff was gonna make it and he was her last real friend left here. She didn’t know what she would do without his sarcastic remarks at the committee, their constant back and forths that brightened her day. All she could do was hope and wait and that was the worst part, there was nothing more she could do for him.

Once the ambulance showed up they let her ride up front so she wouldn’t be driving under duress. She was still sobbing uncontrollably in the front seat even though she had done all she could for Jeff. Or had she really done all she could for him? She couldn’t help but think if they had been closer over the last few months since Annie left he wouldn’t be comatose in the back of an ambulance. She couldn’t even bring herself to text the group what had happened

She sobbed all of the ride to the hospital and then Jeff was wheeled into the ER and she couldn’t go any farther with him. She took a seat in the waiting room and attempted to compose herself enough to send a text. She pulled out her phone and slowly typed out a message to the “Nipple Dippers” group chat that Annie had just sent her good news to.

_ Jeff in ER, think it’s alcohol poisoning, not sure if he’s gonna make it will update soon. _

-Britta Perry, 10:56 PM

She put down her phone and sighed, she wished that there was anybody else there to help her through this but she was alone. She can’t help but imagine that was exactly how Jeff felt when he decided to go on that vicious bender.

_ Oh my god! What happened? Please update us soon!! _

-Annie Edison, 10:57 PM

_ Of course she responded first, she was probably up waiting in the hope that Jeff would respond to her text _ , Britta thought. Then she got a text directly from Annie.

_ Do you think this is about me going to Quantico? _

-Annie Edison, 10:58 PM

Britta made a decision to save some of Jeff’s dignity in that moment by lying for him about the cause of his bender. She took some time to think up a lie that made sense.

_ His phone was in the bedroom and your text was still unopened, he was passed out on the couch so I don’t think so. _

-Britta Perry, 11:03 PM

Britta went back to the group chat and saw that there were a bunch more texts from the group.

_ Thoughts and prayers going your way! I hope that poor boy pulls through! _

-Shirley Bennett, 10:58 PM

_ What happened exactly? _

-Abed Nadir, 11:00 PM

  
  


_ Oh my god what??? Is he gonna be okay??? _

-Troy Barnes, 11:00 PM

Troy was docked in Australia temporarily, at least he got to hear the news in real time. She decided to respond to Abed with the whole story.

_ I went to check on him because he wasn’t responding to his txts, took his spare key and walked in. Saw him passed out on his couch with like 3 empty bottles of scotch around him. I tried to wake him up but he wouldn’t budge, called 911 now I’m waiting. _

-Britta Perry, 11:09 PM

She turned off her phone to let the group take it in on their own, there was no more information for her to give them. She looked around for any signs of somebody looking for her to tell her something about Jeff, but there was nothing. She put her head down for a second to collect her thoughts and the next thing she knew she had passed out in the waiting room.

***

Jeff woke up with a banging sensation in his head and numb throughout his entire body. He didn’t know where he was and the last memory he had was of getting a text from Annie and then grabbing the nearest bottle of scotch in his apartment. He tried to open his eyes but as soon as he saw the glaring lights he closed them again. That’s when he heard somebody next to him.

“Jeff! Are you awake?” He heard a familiar voice say, at first he hoped it was Annie but he knew that wasn’t the case. He realized soon after the voice belonged to his last true friend, Britta.

He groaned and he hoped Britta would take it as a response to her question because he definitely wasn’t ready to talk, especially considering what that talk would be about.

“Oh thank god you’re okay, I was so worried about you.” Britta says, he opens his eyes into a squint to look at her and sees an expression he’s never seen directed at him, one of actual worry.

He didn’t know how bad of a situation he got himself into the night before but the fact that Britta was worried he wasn’t going to wake up gave him some of an idea.

“What happened?” He asked her hoping the time it took her to explain the story would give him enough time to recover for the feelings talk.

“I found you in your apartment unconscious, you had like 3 bottles of scotch around you and you weren’t waking up. I called an ambulance and they took you to the hospital.” Jeff groaned when he found out he was so bad he needed an ambulance. “They said if you had been alone for another hour you would’ve died, you were so close to killing yourself Jeff.” She said and Jeff could tell she was holding back tears.

“Wow, I was gonna crack some shitty joke about you actually caring about me but I didn’t realize how close it was.” He sighed and closed his eyes again because it was getting tiring to keep them open.

“And I would’ve called you a jackass but I’m not sure if this is exactly the time for our normal shit shooting.” Britta said and then let out a sigh as she prepared to say what she knew she had to say “I saw the last thing opened on your phone was the text from Annie.” Britta said. Jeff just sighed.

He knew this part was coming but it didn’t make him any more ready for it. He wasn’t even sure how to explain how he felt to himself anymore, all he knew was that he loathed himself and his life.

“Yeah, well what do you want to know?” Jeff asked, hoping Britta would take  _ some  _ mercy and give him some time before she got into the hard questions.

“Are you in love with Annie?” Britta asked, Jeff groaned, no mercy for him. He composed himself for a second before he answered even though he’s known the answer since she walked away from him at the airport.

“Yes” He responds simply, Britta just nodded sagely at him like she expected the answer.

“Well that was pretty obvious, but what are you gonna do about it?” She asked him, Jeff had to take some time to think about it.

“Nothing, I can’t hold her back from her career. I’m a washed up failure alcoholic stuck teaching Law poorly at a Community College and she’s out working for the FBI.” Jeff sighed, he’d just laid out all his biggest insecurities for Britta to hear. He was just waiting for her to laugh at him, but she didn’t.

“I’m not going to take away any of that because it is true, all of it except for one part. You aren’t stuck like this Jeff, you can grow past Greendale. You’ve seen all of your friends do it and now it’s your turn. You can go back to being a lawyer but maybe just try to get a low level job at a firm this time. That’s the only thing you’ve ever truly shown passion for and if you go back you can start getting rid of the other things holding you back from Annie.” Britta said to him as she took his hand in hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “You can get out Jeff.” She sat back and waited for his reaction.

“Wow Britta, did you just Winger speech me?” Jeff said with a smirk.

“Stop deflecting jackass, take my advice.” Britta said returning his smirk, happy to get back into more familiar territory with her friend.

“Sure I could go back to being a lawyer but I’m still tied to Coloardo then, I only have a license to practice law here.” Jeff said in a resigned voice.

“Then take the BAR for another state! I know you can pass especially if you happen to be getting help studying from a certain type A overachiever.” Britta said with a smirk.

“Okay sure, but I still don’t want to burden her with myself, she’s already built a new life there, I don’t need to pull her down with making her help me prep for a BAR exam. Also for all I know she already has a new boyfriend.” Jeff threw up his arms to emphasize the hopelessness of his situation.

“Jeff, that girl is as smitten as you are and everyone in the study group can confirm that for you if you need. Also I can confirm that she hasn’t dated anybody yet since leaving Greendale, but she isn’t gonna wait forever Jeff.” Britta gave Jeff a sympathetic rub on the shoulder hoping she could get her point through his stupid brain.

“Okay, I’ll think about it, but I seriously need to rest now. That was far too loaded of a conversation for just having woken up from the brink of death.” Jeff motioned to the hospital room hoping Britta would let him rest after that one.

“Fine, but I’m staying, who knows how much more time I’m gonna get to spend with you Winger.” She winks at him and leans back in her chair. Jeff closed his eyes, needing some time to contemplate what the hell he was gonna do.

***

Britta dropped Jeff off at his apartment after he reassured her that he would consider the advice she had given him and wouldn’t drink anymore until he had. He opened his door wondering what the damage would be. As Britta had said though, there were just some empty scotch bottles and glasses on the coffee table. Not even any vomit to clean up.

He grabbed the empty bottles and glasses and brought them to the trash and sink respectively then he went and grabbed the rest of the scotch stash he had in his apartment. He knew it was gonna hurt him now and his wallet but he knew he had to do it. He dumped out all of the amber liquid into his sink, it was a shame but it was a necessary step in recovery. He knew he would probably backslide and relapse a couple of times but he had made the first step. He acknowledged that he had a problem.

He knew he needed a shower but he had some business to take care of first. Jeff went into his bedroom and grabbed his laptop. He opened it up and started searching for plane tickets to D.C. He had somebody he needed to talk to.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm planning on keeping this as a one shot but if people really want a nice Jeff/Annie reunion I might write it as a second chapter at some point.


End file.
